my sense is going off the fiscal slope or curve or cliff is probably the best case scenario for president obama. >> professor reich, the president has offered a mix of taxes and spending cuts in his plan. mr. boehner responded with the ryan budget five minutes after saying they wanted a bipartisan solution. have they put any thought whatsoever into any of this? what have they been doing on all their days off. >> i don't think they've been doing anything but licking their wounds. basically the republicans are hunkered down. they don't seem able or willing to come up with any compromise, any genuine compromise, they haven't for the entire administration up until now. why should we suppose they're going to do so right at this moment? it's a lame duck congress. anybody who thinks this congress is going to come up with and the republicans in this congress are going to come up with some solution doesn't understand the republican house of represent at thises and doesn't under ducks. >> to that point, 114 million americans will see their taxes go up in four weeks. i mean, you say this is a lame d